THE RIVERSIDE LIGHT HAPPENINGS AND NEWS  OF THE   RIVERSIDE CONGREGATIONAL UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST

                                            Summer 2010

  FROM THE  PASTOR’S DESK 

  The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is a disaster of biblical proportions. It will take months to stop and years to clean up. It is hard for me to imagine that BP is not responsible for the spill. The internal company emails and memoranda written before, during and after the explosion demonstrate a group of people drunk with greed. I grew up in coal country and I know first hand the callous disregard that mining and mineral companies have for the environment and human lives. Like most people, I don’t have a solution to affectively regulate and control these companies. My concern is the moral cost.
With everybody blaming someone else for the disaster, moral clarity is wrapped in the fog of rhetoric. I like the bank commercials that demonstrate that even kids know when corporations are being dishonest. If as kids we had an innate sense of fairness and responsibility, how did so many adults loose it? The actionable question is how can we help our kids develop their sense of fairness and responsibility into maturity?
This may sound odd to you but this is why I like music education. Nothing connects action with consequences than music. As a moral education tool, lecturing on responsibility pales in comparison to experiencing the consequences of one’s own behavior. As a music teacher, I can be nurturing and supportive but there is only one way to musicianship, practice, practice, practice. The instrument can be a cruel teacher. The song you are playing either sounds like “Twinkle, Twinkle” or it doesn’t. If you press the wrong key, it sounds bad.
Young musicians are motivated by their dreams and the love of music that develops in their souls. As they grow in age and ability, the peer pressure of an orchestra or music ensemble challenges them to get it right. In music consequences are closely tied to performance. My prayer is that these children will hold fast with confidence to the moral lessons they learn as musicians. We need adults who understand what responsibility means. I would like to suggest to the Senate that instead of asking questions that nobody really answers, the Supreme Court nominees should be asked to perform on the musical instrument they learned to play as a child. We need judges who know what it means to be fair and responsible in their heart.

                                             Gene

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   FELLOWSHIP TIME
Let’s get together after worship every Sunday and enjoy a few minutes of each other’s company with a little chatter. Our hosts for the next few months will be:
June - Jane Addams Guild      
July - Choir
August - Missions Board              
September  -   Board of Deacons
We would much appreciate receiving donations of light baked goods to serve during fellowship. Thank You!

   SUMMER OFFICE HOURS
Please make a note that the church office hours from July1st thru
September 3rd will be from 9:00 A.M. until Noon.

     ANNUAL ELECTIONS
Church officers, board and committee members were elected at our recent annual meeting held of May 23rd. To learn who your new representatives are, see the last page of the newsletter. 
We are pleased to let you know that the congregation approved the creation of a “Church Council” which takes effect immediately. 
Members were duly elected on Sunday, June 13th and they are as follows: 
Drew Manlove (3 year term),
Donna Hickey (two year term) 
Michael Clark (one year term)



ATTENTION BOARDS & COMMITTEES
To ensure effective communications, all boards and committees are reminded to advise the office of the name of those representatives elected to the following positions:
Trustees: -- Chair, secretary, property committee, finance and endowment, pastoral review, and nominating committees.
 Deacons:-- Chair, secretary, treasurer, representative to the nominating and pastoral review committees.  
World Missions: -- Chair, secretary and representative to the pastoral review committee. 
Christian Education: Chair, secretary and pastoral review committee. 

   RIVERSIDE FAMILY CENTER
What a year the Center has had! As the children are excitedly looking forward to their summer vacation, the staff is already preparing for the 2010-2011 school year. The Center certainly was a buzz of activity during the school season, with several concerts, bake sales and a variety of fund raisers, there were no idle moments throughout the year.
Our children independently made plans to help feed the hungry, adopted the local animal shelter and even raised enough money to purchase several flocks of chickens for families in undeveloped countries. We are proud of them all! We are also appreciative of the great staff who guided the children through their lessons, and activities. Many thanks to Laurie Dias, Desiree Ashley, Marie King and driver, Walter Barr. Special kudos to Director, Jessica Clark who once again led the team through another wonderful year.  Many thanks to you all and see you in September!